“Now, gentlemen, let us do something today which the world may talk of hereafter.”

Wouldn’t that make an excellent slogan to be printed on a team’s kit?Why, yes, I’m looking at you, Mr. Hodgson…

Luckily, The Collingwood Society is more successful in its endeavours than Team England, and has yet again organised a plethora of magnificent events, to which you are all duly invited. I’d say a broad variety of interests will get covered! Download your 2014 PROGRAMME here.

The event of 23 October caught my eye, for it promises to be great fun:

The 3rd Annual General Meeting of the Collingwood Society, followed by ‘Forebitters’. A ‘forebitter’ was a sailor’s song, traditionally sung for recreation in the forecastle accommodation of an evening, as opposed to the more functional shanties which accompanied the various work tasks aboard ship. The concept of allowing rank and file members a 5-minute slot on anything Collingwood-related was received with enthusiasm when mooted at the 2013 AGM, so we are embarking on our first ‘open mike’ session, so to speak! Half a dozen or so ‘turns’ – mini-lecture, song, poetry, dance, costume, who knows??! Volunteers please apply to the Secretary before the Summer recess – this may take some organising!! Free admission for Society members, £2 for others.

Volounteers, don’t delay, apply today!

And here are some gentlemen who did something the world (well, the Morpeth Herald) did talk of hereafter: at a recent meeting of the Morpeth Rotary Club, guest speaker Captain Stephen Healy, President of the Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood Association, gave a talk to members about the admiral and his links with Morpeth.

(Did they mix up the names for the pictures, I wonder? Me thinks Captain Healy is the one on the left?)

In completely different news, and just so you can stop nagging me about it: The Admiral Collingwood Pub in Ilfracombe is now open for business. You can look at many, many pictures here. Why it was named after Collingwood – I have no idea. Looking at the toilets, Ye Olde Beetlejuice might have been more appropriate…? But good luck to them, and many happy guests!

As some of you know, I’ve been a bit (ok, more than a bit) under the weather these last months, health- and otherwise, and had to cut back somewhere. “Somewhere” being my online presence, and you’re rightly upset with me that Old Cuddy (as well as Joyful Molly) fell victim to my cutbackiness. It wasn’t easy to give other things priorities, as you can imagine.

But now I’m back for good, and updates will be regular again. And he’re a heads-up for the next event of the honourable Collingwood Society:

“COLLINGWOOD AND MORPETH”

A talk to the The Collingwood Society byCapt. Stephen Healy

Thursday 19th September 2013: 7.30pm
The Ballroom, Morpeth Town Hall

Free for members of both the Collingwood Society and the Morpeth Antiquarian Society , £2 admission for others.
Parking is recommended at the adjacent Newgate Street car parks. Rail and bus travel is possible from Newcastle.

Free for Society members and HMS Calliope Ship’s Company, £2 admission for others (refunded if joining on the night).
Parking is recommended in the car parks around the Sage Music Centre; the nearest Metro station is Gateshead; the QuayLink bus runs regularly from Haymarket bus station in Newcastle.

First things first: I have to apologise for the radio silence. As some of you may know, the last weeks have been rather unpleasant, and I had to put my online activities on the backburner. Thanks for your understanding.

7 March is just around the corner, and that means we’ll see the 203rd anniversary of Admiral Lord Collingwood’s death. It has become a bit of a tradition to place flowers on his tomb at St. Paul’s that day, but unfortunately, Old Cuddy will have to go without flowers this year.

“What? You can’t not do that!”

Well, little did my heathen self consider that Old Cuddy died in a very inconvinient month, church-wise. Means: LENT. Means: NO FLOWERS. No flowers through lent at St. Paul’s Cathedral. They were very friendly and they do make exceptions for one day of commemoration, but I’ll be honest with you: spending £££ on flowers which would only be there for a few hours and then thrown out would be a waste of money and flowers (the later sort of going against my religious principles). I appreciate that exceptions are made – it’s not like Old Cuddy died on purpose on 7 March, after all – but I decided it makes more sense to place flowers on Collingwood’s birthday in future rather than on the anniversary of his death.

But he won’t go empty handed, because he finally gets a commemorative bust! Or rather, Morpeth gets it, thanks to many generous donors and, of course, the Collingwood Society. The bust has been created by sculptor Helen Ridehalgh and is the second of a pair cast from the same mould. The original rests on Isla del Rey in Menorca harbour.

And it goes without saying that the Society has organised many events on 7 March, the unveiling of the bust only being one of many highlights.

a Service of commemoration and thanksgiving for the life of Vice Admiral Lord Collingwood at the Church of St. James the Great, Coppergate, Morpeth, 10.45am – 11.45am

an official civic ceremony and unveiling of the bust of Admiral Lord Collingwood, the Butter Market, Morpeth Town Hall, 12.30pm – 1.00pm (due to space restrictions, invited guests only, but the bust will be available to view after the ceremony)

Collingwood House, Oldgate, Morpeth will be open to the public between 1.30pm – 3.30pm. Society experts will be on hand to answer questions.

The 2013 Collingwood Lecture: “Collingwood – A Very Private Hero”, delivered by Max Adams, courtesy of the Royal Grammar School, Eskdale Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne. 7.30pm, in the main hall. Free for Society members and school staff and pupils, £2 admission charge for others. The inaugural Collingwood lecture was delivered as part of the Collingwood 2010 Festival and this, the second lecture, promises to be a prestigious event in the Society’s first year programme.

Time to mark 29 January, 7.30pm in your diaries, agendas and electronical devices (the back of a beer mat is also acceptable, as long as it’s the Collingwood 2010 Festival Ale)!

“Collingwood’s Stick –
the Life and Times of Captain Edward Rotheram CB RN”

A talk by Dr Tony Barrow to a meeting of
The Collingwood Society

Highly praised for his undeniably brave service during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars, Edward Rotheram was Captain of HMS Royal Sovereign, flagship of Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, at the Battle of Trafalgar.

I still try to figure out what event(s) I could visit this year. If you have the same problem, do not despair: eventually, the Collingwood Society will build an archive into the new website, in which presentations to the Society will be lodged. How’s that for good news?

By the way, how about paying for your bottle of Collingwood Ale with this…?

Next time this comes up at an auction, I’ll hopefully be more successful than during Diarygate.

Dr. Barrow will speak on the men from Tyneside and Northumberland who had social and family connections with Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood and how the latter supported them (or otherwise) in their naval careers.

Great subject, everyone is welcome, admission is free and refreshments are available – so what are you waiting for?

“(…) While this year marks the 200th anniversary of his death, Admiral Nelson’s right-hand man was there in every cleverly thought-out detail of a hugely interesting and well-hosted night. (…)”

Excellent food was enjoyed in excellent company.

“(…) The company is, of course, as important as the food and many people who sat down as strangers had a few shipmates by the end. (…)”

And thanks to Captain Stephen Healy, we have photographic evidence of this historic event!

An Officer and his Lady on the steps of the Newcastle upon Tyne Trinity House preparing to “Dine with Collingwood”.

I think we can all agree that this is a very dashing couple! I love that there was the option for historical dress along to escape the old suit and tie and little black dress routine. It suits the spirit of the evening much better.